Drain Diverted Dirty Water and Continuously Circulated Clean Water System

ABSTRACT

According to embodiments of the present disclosure is a water delivery system that continuously flows and recirculates clean water, diverting only water that has touched a user&#39;s hands. No sensing is required to activate the water flow and the actions of the user effectively divert the dirty water to a drain. The water delivery system comprises a clean water outlet, a clean water inlet, a dirty water drain, and a circulation pump. A stream of water continuously flows from the outlet and is received by the water inlet if the stream is uninterrupted. If the stream is disturbed, such as by the hand washing activities of the user, the stream is diverted from the inlet and instead falls into a sink and into the drain.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 USC § 119 of ProvisionalSer. No. 62/292,375, filed Feb. 8, 2016, which is incorporated herein byreference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to water delivery systems. Morespecifically, the invention relates to a water delivery systemcomprising a sink, faucet, and pumping devices that continuouslycirculates clean water and diverts dirty water that has touched a user'shands. By diverting only contaminated water and recirculating cleanwater, the water delivery system has the ability to improve waterconservation.

Several prior art systems have been designed in an attempt to conservewater. For example, in public restrooms, some systems rely on sensorsthat automatically turn on the flow of water when a user's hands areplaced below the faucet. To conserve water, the flow is terminated whenthe user's hands are removed. These widely used systems are oftenreferred to as automatic faucets. Automatic faucets have two key parts:a sensor, such as an infrared sensor, that senses the proximity of theuser's hands and an electrically switched valve that opens the waterflow.

Theses automatic faucets suffer from problems associated with both thesensor and the switched valve. For example, the sensor is not alwaysaccurate and may start the water flow too early or keep it running afterthe user moves his hands away from the faucet. In addition to wastingwater, the lack of accurate responsiveness of those sensors results ininconvenience to the user.

The main disadvantage with these types of systems is the added cost. Inaddition, automatic faucets require batteries, which deplete and run outover time, or require a dedicated power source. These components arevulnerable to failure. In fact, the fundamental disadvantage of theautomatic faucets' water conservation methodology is that it relies onsensing and switching, both of which are carried out by extra componentsthat require power, maintenance, and can fail.

Other water conserving systems include self-closing faucets, such asthose used in airplanes and other public restrooms. With these systems,the user depresses a knob on the faucet to begin the flow of water. Theknob slowly returns to the off position, at which time the water flowceases. Users find these faucets inconvenient because the time periodthe faucet stays open is fixed and is normally too short for aparticular user and she has to re-press the knob several times whileusing the faucet. If the faucet remains open too long, water is beingwasted. Theses faucets are prone to failure of the mechanical timingmechanism that results in the time period becoming even shorter, leadingto inconvenience, or longer and leading to water waste. Anotherdisadvantage of self-closing faucets is the need to touch them withunclean hands, which is a hygiene hazard in public bathrooms and healthfacilities. It would therefore be advantageous to develop a waterconservation system that does not suffer the drawbacks associated withthe prior art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to embodiments of the present disclosure is a water deliverysystem that continuously flows and recirculates clean water, divertingonly water that has touched a user's hands. No sensing is required toactivate the water flow and the actions of the user effectively divertthe dirty water to a drain. In one configuration, the water deliverysystem comprises a clean water outlet, a clean water inlet, a dirtywater drain, and a circulation pump. A stream of water continuouslyflows from the outlet and is received by the water inlet if the streamis uninterrupted. If the stream is disturbed, such as by the handwashing activities of the user, the stream is diverted from the inletand instead falls into a sink and into the drain. A circulation pumpcontinuously moves the water from the inlet, which can be combined withsource water, to the outlet. The system can be designed in variousconfigurations by placing the inlet and outlet of the water stream indifferent positions, which makes it flexible and comfortable fordifferent uses.

The present invention is particularly economical in mosques, hotels, andairports where there are multiple faucets in the same place since thesystem could be run by one circulation pump and one circulation valve.In contrast, automatic faucets require a sensor and switch/solenoid foreach faucet on each sink.

With respect to water conservation, some studies have concluded thatautomatic faucets fared worse than conventional systems under manycircumstances. The system of the present invention solves this problemby diverting only dirty water; once the user removes his hands away fromthe water stream/beam, no water will be wasted. In addition to theconservation benefits, the water delivery system of the presentinvention provides the following additional benefits: (1) inhibiting thespread of germs common to traditional faucets; (2) aiding use by elderlyor physically disabled users; and (3) reducing the risk of scaldingincidents by hot water.

In alternative embodiments, ozone and ultraviolet treatment can beapplied to the water stream and the recirculated water. Because of theincreased time the water dwells in the system due to recirculation,sanitation can be improved. In yet another embodiment, lighting can beadded to the water stream to provide decorative features. This featurecan be used in luxury hotels or homes where the continuously runningwater stream will act as a decorative water fountain illuminating withbeautiful light patters that can even be synched to relaxing backgroundmusic, or just left to the relaxing sound of fountain like water.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic of the water delivery system according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a twin-impeller recirculation pump, according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the water delivery system.

FIG. 4 depicts the water delivery system showing a circulation pumpassembly integrated in the system.

FIGS. 5A-5C are schematics of different orientations of a circulationvalve used to replenish diverted water.

FIGS. 6A-6C show alternative embodiments of the circulation valve usedfor replenishing water.

FIG. 7 shows an alternative embodiment for the faucet design with abarrier and receptor.

FIG. 8 illustrates a gravity-fed embodiment of the system that utilizesthe embodiment shown in FIG. 7

FIG. 9 shows a shower system embodiment as an alternative embodiment.

FIGS. 10A-10B depicts the water delivery system according to oneembodiment including integration with a central water heater.

FIG. 11 is an alternative embodiment of the water conservationarrangement shown in FIG. 10.

FIGS. 12A-12B show the water delivery system with a water heater in-linewith the water entering the outlet.

FIGS. 13A-13B depict a traditional sink and faucet modified with thewater delivery system of the present invention.

FIGS. 14A-14B illustrate the system with an activated drain cover, whichcan be used as an enhancement to traditional systems.

FIGS. 15A-15B show the system with an activated drain valve.

FIGS. 16A-16B depict the system in an embodiment with a long sinkmodification of an existing system.

FIG. 17 shows the system retrofitted into a traditional sink.

FIG. 18 shows an alternative embodiment to a long sink design.

FIG. 19 shows an alternative embodiment useful in public washrooms.

FIG. 20 shows an alternative embodiment of the system useful in publicwashrooms.

FIG. 21 shows the water circulation assembly with an accumulation tankand a main water supply tank.

FIGS. 22A-22D shows an alternative embodiment having a mechanicallyoperated circulation mechanism.

FIGS. 23A-23D show a modification to improve automatic faucets that canbe attained by using laser light transducers.

FIGS. 24A-24D show the relations between water flow-rate, pressure, andcirculation pump control required to ensure optimal operation of thewater delivery system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the water delivery system comprises a faucet, oroutlet 101, clean water inlet 102, drain 103, and a recirculation system201, which is shown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the recirculationsystem (or assembly) 201 comprises a circulation pump 202 andcirculation valve 203. The faucet 101, or water outlet, and inlet 102are positioned within a sink 104 or other basin and separated by adistance. The faucet 101 is designed so that water exiting the faucet101 travels in a stream directly to the water inlet 102. In oneembodiment, the water exits the faucet 101 as a laminar water stream sothat substantially all of the water enters the water inlet 102 ifuninterrupted by an outside force, such as a user's hands. As shown inFIG. 1, the faucet 101 is placed at a lower position than the inlet 102,where the water stream travels in an upward trajectory. However, anypositioning of the faucet 101 and inlet 102 that allows water exitingthe faucet 101 to enter the inlet 102 can be used. In the alternateembodiment shown in FIG. 3, for example, the water stream has a nearlyvertical trajectory from the outlet 101 to the inlet 102.

Water received by the inlet 102 enters the recirculation system 201,where a circulation pump 202 moves the water back to the faucet 101. Acirculation valve 203 is provided to add source water, such as from amunicipal water supply, to the recirculated water. This is necessarywhen water is diverted to the drain 103 and does not enter the inlet102. An example recirculation system 201 is shown in FIG. 4.

In one embodiment, the circulation pump 202 is a twin impeller pump,such as the one shown in FIG. 2. Although, a single impeller pump can beused if placed on the receiving end of the water circulation looppiping, inline after the water inlet 102. The circulation pump 202 canbe a dedicated one for a single sink, or one for several sinks in apublic bathroom. Alternatively, one pump 202 can be used for the wholehouse with circulation piping running back to it. The pump 202 can beelectrically driven, or alternatively, driven by the pressure from themunicipality water coming to the house. The impeller shaft 204 can beused to keep both pump impellers moving when water flow is inconsistent.

The drain 103 is positioned at the lowermost portion of the sink 104, asis typically encountered. In one example embodiment, the drain 103 ispositioned away from the water inlet 102 to prevent contaminated waterfrom entering the inlet 102. Referring again to FIG. 1, two waterstreams are shown—a first stream traverses the gap between the outlet101 and the inlet 102, which occurs when the user does not interrupt thewater stream's path; and a second stream drains through the drain 103when the user interrupts the water stream. Users interrupt the streamwhen washing their hands, for example. As such, the water entering thedrain 103 can be sent to a sewage system, or filtered and reused in graywater systems, irrigation, or other purposes that do not require purewater.

While several example embodiments have been disclosed so far, watersystem engineers and experts in water flow physics can vary thetechnical implementation of the water delivery system to ensureperformance for the intended application. For example, some systems mayvalue a beautiful and coherent stream of water, or “water beam,” overother considerations. As will be discussed in greater detail, the systemdesign can be varied with respect to water pressure, circulation, waterrate, and water beam trajectory.

FIGS. 5A-5C and FIGS. 6A-6C depict various embodiments of a circulationvalve 203, which mixes recirculated water with source water. As shown inFIG. 5A, the valve 203 can be in the closed position, where only sourcewater is directed towards the faucet 101; the valve 203 can remainpartially opened (FIG. 5B), where source water and recirculated waterare mixed; or the valve can be fully opened (FIG. 5C), where onlyrecirculated water is moved towards the faucet 101. FIGS. 6A-6C show analternative embodiment of the valve 203 comprising a ball valve. InFIGS. 6A-6C, the ball valve is shown in closed, partially open, and openconfigurations. As previously stated, source water is needed when a userdiverts water into the drain 103, such as when washing their hands.

In one embodiment, the water delivery system has a recirculation system201 for every sink 104 in a house or a similar small scale applicationwhere a single system can be deployed. In public restrooms, a singlerecirculation system 201 can be used for multiple sinks 104 to increasethe economy of the system. In yet another embodiment, the circulationpump 202 can be hydraulically driven by the pressure of the municipalitywater, or the pressure generated by the central house pressure pump.Where water pressure is sufficient, this hydraulic (water driven) pumpsolution would be advantageous as no electrical pump needs to beinstalled reducing electric power consumption and complexity in thehouse.

To retrofit the water delivery system in a house with existing plumbing,and using an existing house central pressure pump to avoid installingseparate circulation pumps for every sink, concentric flexible tubes canbe installed inside the existing pipes. This method avoids the hassleand damage required to install a new set of parallel piping back to thecentral house pressure pump. The disadvantage of concentric piping isobviously the total water volume reduction that will result, and shouldthe original installed pipes be small, this option is not likely towork.

In addition to traditional home usage, the water delivery system of thepresent invention can be used in hotels, public toilets in airports andmalls, restaurants, mosques, passenger airplanes and busses where wateris scarce. Recent studies have shown that faucets in public bathrooms atairports have some the highest levels of germs. By having a continuouslyrunning water stream, there is no need for a user to touch the faucet101 or any other part of the system to begin water flow.

Another widely spread method to conserve water is the use of aerators atthe tip of faucets 101 to mix air with water and hence reducing theeffective volume of water consumed for cleaning purposes. The faucet 101of the present invention can use aerators as well, provided the waterstream remains coherent enough to enter the water inlet 102. With theusage of a circulation pump 202, greater volumes of air can be mixedwith the water using purposely designed aerators for greaterconservation and other advantages over the standard ones.

FIG. 7 shows an alternative embodiment in which the inlet 102 is placedbehind a barrier 302. A receptor 301 can be used to direct the watertowards the inlet 102. The key advantage of this barrier-receptorembodiment is its ability to function in the absence of a circulationpump or where the water pressure is varying, such as a rural setting.Because the area in which the water stream can strike the sink and stillbe collected by the inlet 102 is enlarged in this design, less water isinadvertently diverted to the drain 103 due to pressure fluctuations. Inone embodiment, the receptor 301 is positioned above the inlet 102, sowater received by the receptor 301 is transferred to the inlet 102 bygravity.

FIG. 8 shows an alternative embodiment for the circulation system thatutilizes the barrier-receptor embodiment shown in FIG. 7. In thisembodiment, a manual pump 202 is used in connection with a gravity tank303. Water from the upper gravity tank 303 supplies the pressure for thefaucet 101. The faucet has a tap 105 that can be used to run water likea traditional faucet. The manual pump 202 moves/recirculates the waterthat accumulates in the lower tank 304 to the upper tank 303. The lowertank 304 stores clean water that has been circulated and has not comeinto contact with the user before being pumped to the upper tank 303.This embodiment is useful in areas where there is no electricity. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 8, a receptor 301 and barrier 302 are used todivert water to the inlet 102, since the water pressure may not beconsistent.

FIG. 9 depicts an alternative embodiment of the water delivery systemfor use as a shower. Water is projected from faucet 101 upwards. When auser enters the water stream, the water hits the user's body and isdiverted from the path leading to inlet 102. Instead, the interruptedwater drains through the drain 103. Similar to the previous embodiments,uninterrupted water flow is circulated through inlet 102. A catchmentarea 401 receives water that is not circulated and drains it back to thedrain 103.

The water delivery system of the present invention providesopportunities to increase sanitation of the water due to therecirculation process. For example, ozone, water ionization andultraviolet treatment can be applied to the water within therecirculation system 201 to sanitize the water and give it sanitizingproperties. Because recirculated water will contact the treatmentmultiple times, there is a reduced risk of pathogens not being treated.

The benefits of “in process” or “active sanitization” occurring in therecirculation pump can be important to hospitals since some germsaccumulate within the water stream and not as a result of user'stouching the faucets. In one known instance, a hospital in the UnitedStates switched back to traditional faucets from automatic ones as itdiscovered that automatic faucets accumulated greater concentration ofbacteria than traditional ones.

While ozone, ultraviolet, and ionization water treatments are proventechniques, magnetizing water for sanitization is less known but therecirculation system 201 of the present invention provides anopportunity to treat water in ways not previously possible due to thenature of the circulation process that allows more time in contact withthe water.

The water delivery system of the present invention provides benefits inaddition to water conservation and sanitization. Humidification is oftenneeded in locations were air is very dry. Excessively low humidity mayoccur in hot, dry desert climates or indoors in artificially heatedspaces. In winter, especially when cold outside air is heated indoors,the humidity may drop as low as 10-20%. This low humidity can causeadverse health effects, by drying out mucous membranes such as thelining of the nose and throat, and can cause respiratory distress. Thelow humidity also can affect wooden furniture, causing shrinkage andloose joints or cracking of pieces. Books, papers, and artworks mayshrink or warp and become brittle in very low humidity. In addition,static electricity may become a problem in conditions of low humidity,destroying semiconductor devices and causing annoying static cling oftextiles, and causing dust and small particles to stick stubbornly toelectrically charged surfaces. With a constant stream of water beingrecirculated, the humidity of the air in the vicinity of the waterdelivery system can be increased.

In one alternative embodiment, fragrances can be injected into thecirculated water stream. This exposure and intermixing of the air in theroom with the circulated water and its sanitization, humidification, andscenting induced-properties can be increased by keeping the systemrunning continuously and by maximizing the aeration capacity of thewater and the length of the water beam/stream exposed to roomatmosphere. In one example, the scenting of the circulated water can beaccomplished with fully natural fruit extracts, like orange skin fluid.Doing so will produce two benefits—it will replace the need for batteryoperated fragrance spray machines that people install on public bathroomwalls and it will remove the need to use fragrance on their hands afterwashing their hands as some people like to do. In fact, most hand soapspeople use have some fragrance mixed with it.

With traditional sinks and faucets, a considerable amount of water iswasted by users who drain some water until they get a desired watertemperature. For example, some users let the water run until it becomeswarm before washing their hands. This type of water wastage is known aswater temperature control wastage. To solve this problem and provide theend user with warm water instantly, systems have been developed with apump and a closed loop system that is used to continuously circulatewater back to the main heater in the house, preventing it from becomingcold in the pipes. FIG. 10A shows a standard setting, where water in thepipes becomes cold when the lavatory is not in use. In FIG. 10B, thesystem of the present invention where the water is continuouslycirculated through the main water heater 501 is shown. Implementing suchsystems is expensive and is often only done in luxury homes. Inembodiments of the present invention, the required additional pump andvalve are part of the system and hence no additional cost is required.In other words, because the water delivery system of the presentinvention is a recirculation type system, the recirculation loop caninclude the house's main water heater 501 to keep the temperature of thewater exiting the faucet 101 warm.

The circulation pump 202 (or at least, the circulation valve 203) can beplaced at the input of the main water heater 501 to ensure that water inthe pipes does not become stagnant or cold. Note however, that if theuser decides to switch off the system, then the water in the pipes willbecome cold over time. When the system is switched back on and while thewater in the pipes is allowed to flow in order to be replaced by thedesired warm water, it is being circulated and not drained and wasted.Should the user decide that he does not want to waste his time waitingfor the temperature to equalize, then he can either leave the systemrunning continuously or program it to start circulating water fewminutes prior to him using the system.

The system of FIG. 10B can be cost prohibitive if modification ofexisting buildings and plumbing is necessary. Two other options existfor these situations. In one alternative embodiment, a small temperatureequalizing tube 502 can be connected to the inlet of the water heater501 from the recirculation system 201, as shown in FIG. 11. In thisoption, a small amount of recirculated water is returned to the mainheater 501 and heated. Source water replaces the returned water. Thewater that is sent back in the small tube 502 is controlled using atemperature-equalizing valve 503. The equalizing valve 503 can functionin three possible ways: it can be programmed to send water to the heateron timed intervals every hour depending on the temperature of therecirculated water; the valve 503 can send a fixed portion of therecirculated water back to the heater (3%, 5% or 10%) continuously; or,the valve 503 can be operated manually by the user at times whentemperature equalizing is needed prior to starting a shower, forinstance. The manual valve 503 can be a metered self-closing one forconvenience to the user, and efficiency in electric power usage.

FIGS. 12A-12B show an alternative arrangement of the one shown in FIG.10 that achieves water conservation by eliminating water temperaturecontrol wastage, but this time using a small in-line heater tank 504near the sink 104 (with a special switching method), which can be usedfor conventional systems as well as for the system of the presentinvention. The inline heater 504 has a heating filament 505 which heatsthe water before entering the faucet. The heated water rises betweenmetallic sheets 506 that assist the water in rising to the top of theheater 504. FIG. 12A shows the water flowing through the inline heatertank 504. FIG. 12B shows the water directly flowing from the main heaterafter cold water was diverted to the small inline heater tank 504. Touse the water delivery system of the present invention instead of aconventional one, a user would have to replace the conventional faucetsystem (as highlighted in FIGS. 12A-12B) with the system 101 highlightedin FIGS. 10A-10B.

In yet another alternative embodiment, ornamental or decorative lightingeffects can be included with the system. For example, the water beamexiting the faucet 101 can be colored with LED lights. In one design, asink could have several water sources and several receptors in twosemicircles facing each other. LED lights can be different and alteringbetween the several water beams. That can also be synchronized with someappropriate music. The sound of running water being recirculated in thesystem adds to the calming effect.

FIGS. 13A-13B depict the water delivery system of the present inventionretrofitted into an existing sink 104. In this design, a circulationwater receptor, or inlet 102, is added at the bottom of the sink 104concentric with the drain 103. However, the inlet 102 is higher than thedrain 103 opening by a couple of centimeters. FIG. 13A showsuninterrupted water flow where the stream is untouched by the user'shand and is circulated through the inlet 102. FIG. 13B shows interruptedflow where the water would flow through the drain 103. This retrofit iscompact and can use existing holes in the sink 104.

In the simple modifications shown in FIGS. 13A-13B, the purity of thecirculated water will not be 100% since some of the diverted water willfall down into the inlet 102. The purity may be 95%, for example. Whilefilters could be used to bring purity to a 97% level, some users wouldstill find it unacceptable. To overcome this problem, the inlet 102 canbe covered with a solenoid activated cover 601, as shown in FIGS.14A-14B. In this embodiment, a sensor is triggered by the hands of theuser, which causes the solenoid to activate, covering the inlet 102.FIG. 14A shows the cover 601 in a closed position, while FIG. 14B showsthe cover 601 in an open position. Alternatively, a solenoid valve 602can be used to divert the water that has entered the inlet 102 into adischarge pipe, as shown in FIGS. 15A-15B. Similar to the embodimentsshown in FIGS. 14A-14B, FIG. 15A shows the solenoid valve 602 divertingthe water to the waste pipe when the water stream is in contact with theuser's hand and FIG. 15B shows the solenoid valve 602 circulating theuninterrupted water stream.

This diversion system can even be used with traditional automaticfaucets. With a recirculation system 201, new types of sensors can beused. For example, sensors such as capacitive or conductive sensors canbe used. Specifically, the sensor triggered in the embodiment of FIGS.14A-14B and 15A-15B can be a capacitive sensor. As the water stream isinterrupted, a capacitive system detects a change in the electric chargeand activates the drain valve 602 or the solenoid activated cover 601.The advantage of this new method is that more precise and accuratedetection of the user's hands can be achieved, which will result in moreefficient conservation of water and convenience to the user.

FIG. 16B shows a “long sink” embodiment, where the purity ofrecirculated water is improved, with a traditional sink shown in FIG.16A. In the long sink 104 embodiment, the hand lathering and washingprocess is kept distant from the inlet 102 to avoid dirty water fallinginto the circulation receptor, or inlet 102. The long sink design can bea new sink, as shown in FIG. 16, or the sink can be modified, as shownin FIG. 17.

The “long sink” embodiment can be further adjusted to distance thecirculation path farther as shown in FIG. 18. As can be seen, the inlet102 is moved upwards with the faucet, closer to the edge of the basin104. This embodiment enhanced the circulation since the inlet 102 isfurther from the drain 103.

Another simple modification to traditional systems is applicable to theablution-process faucets available in many mosques around the world,which are used five times daily by mosque visitors and has tremendouspotential for water conservation. For these types of systems, an inlet102 is added at the bottom near the drain, as shown in FIG. 19. Asindicated, the user can be sitting on the seating shown which is atypical faucet configuration in mosques. Any contact between the user'shand and the water stream diverts the path of the water and prevents thewater from going through the inlet 102, instead diverting the stream tothe drain 103 below.

Similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 18, in which the inlet 102is placed further away from the hand washing activities, an alternativeembodiment to the one shown in FIG. 19 is shown in FIG. 20. In thisembodiment, the inlet 102 is also further away from the drain 103compared with the embodiment of FIG. 19. For use in a mosque, this makesit harder for a user to clean his/her feet, but helps to lessen theamount of dirty water circulated unintentionally.

FIG. 21 shows an example embodiment having a circulation loop for use ina mosque or an application deploying multiple circulating faucets 101.An accumulation tank is shown at the bottom of the system and is used toprovide a continuous water feed to the pump 202. This prevents the pump202 from pumping a two-phase mixture of water and air which can causedamage to the pump 202. The main water tank serves as storage for thewater supply to the faucet(s) 101 and also provides adequate pressurefor the faucets 101.

In one simple embodiment, a continuous water stream can be circulated ina contained passage as shown in FIGS. 22A-22D. The contained passagecomprises two gates 702 and 703, which are pivoted with spring loadedhinges 701. Gates 702 and 703 are mounted between the faucet 101 andinlet 102. As the user places his/her hands, the two gates rotateletting the water rush through an opening in gate 702. The front view ofthe opening is shown in FIG. 22A. The side view depicts the position ofthe gates 702 and 703 when the water delivery system is not in use (FIG.22B) or in use (FIG. 22C). When in use, the diverted water stream drainsthrough the drain 103. As the user retracts his/her hand, the gates 702and 703 close back to circulate the water. This circulation can betriggered using a regular valve 105 shown near the outlet 101 or thestream can be continuously circulated. Additionally, a flexible metallicstring 704 can be wrapped around the hinges 701 and runs through theinside of the gates. As the gates 702 and 703 are activated, theflexible string 704 stretches and helps slide back the gates 702 and 703into the closed position. This helps the gates 702 and 703 rotatingwithout getting stuck.

FIGS. 23A-23D illustrate another modification to improve automaticfaucets that can be attained by using laser light transducers 802, andin specific geometric arrangements, to control sensing. The sensorarrangement 801 comprises visible light laser beams 802 and sensorsinstead of traditional infrared sensors for opening and closing faucets.When using infrared sensors, opening the faucet can be rather trickysince the user does not know where and when the sensor will detect herhands. With visible laser beams 802, the user would see the laser beamreflected off his/her hand as they pass under the faucet. When the laserbeam is intersected by the user's hand, the faucet is switched on. Amain disadvantage of automatic faucets is that they tend to have onefixed flow rate, which is either more than the user needs and hencewastes water, or too little for the water needs at certain times andhence inconvenient to the user. To overcome this disadvantage, thesensing arrangement 801 can use multiple laser transducers 802, withrespective laser beams, in a way that allows the user to control theflow rate. Intersecting the first laser beam would open the faucet atthe lowest possible flow rate achieving maximum water conservation.Intersecting the second or third laser beams would increase the flowrate to a medium or a maximum rate, respectively, as shown by FIGS.23B-23D, between the different drawings with increasing number of beams.The laser beam switching arrangement 801 can be incorporated intoembodiments of the present invention (as shown in FIG. 23A) or it can beincorporated into existing automatic faucets (as shown in FIG. 23B).FIGS. 23C-23D show how the water rate is controlled by the user to thedesired level.

The embodiments shown in FIGS. 23A-23D is one embodiment of using laserbeams 802 and sensors, other embodiments can involve a single laser beamtransducer 802 and three or more sensors instead of the depicted threetransducers 802. Geometric arrangements would be optimized to what ismost effective to detect the user's hands. The sensor arrangement 801can also be used for showers, either with the system of the presentinvention in which water is continuously circulated, or with standardautomatic faucet type showers.

FIG. 24A is a water delivery system according to one embodiment showingdifferent water stream paths (A-C). FIG. 24B is a chart depicting thewater flow-rate, pressure, and circulation pump control required toensure optimal operation and water conservation for the preferredembodiment. In the system of the present invention, one of the maincontrolling factors is the pump speed (for a given outlet size andoutlet/inlet distance), which can be controlled very accuratelyparticularly if the circulation pump 202 is being driven by a digitalmotor. The rotation rate of the pump 202 will control the flow rate ofthe water in the system. Hence, the rotation rate of the pump 202 willdetermine the water pressure at the outlet 101 given that the area ofthe outlet 102 and the pressure loses in the plumbing is fixed.Therefore, the output pressure must be adjusted so that the water streamcan bridge the gap between the outlet 101 and inlet 102. A low outputpressure will cause the stream to miss the inlet 102 and enter the drain103. Once the pressure is raised to reach the threshold value requiredto bridge the gap between the faucet 101 and the inlet 102, the waterbeam will be the lower, highly curved one, as shown in FIG. 24A. Thewater beam with the minimum pressure and flow rate needed to bridge thegap is water stream ‘A’. As the pressure is increased, the water beamwill be less curved and almost straight as depicted in the upper waterbeam ‘C’. Notice the side view of the water inlet 102, which iselliptical to account for the variable water beam curvature. Water beam‘B’ has a flow rate that enables the beam to bridge the gap and reach apoint slightly higher than the minimum height. This flow rate ensuresthat the beam bridges the gap and leaves a small contingency foruncontrolled variables while not having a flow rate that is too high. Atthe maximum pump rotation speed and hence the maximum water outputpressure and flow rate, the system would essentially be circulatingwater faster than needed much like opening a traditional faucet to itsmaximum. FIG. 24B is a graph of the water flow rate versus the outputpressure at the outlet 102 and the points labelled. Note, duringinstallation the pump 202 can be calibrated to ensure the water beam hasthe proper trajectory.

It should also be noted that the invention can eliminate the need for aseparate traditional mechanical faucet, in desired, to regulate thewater flow or to control the flow rate. Opening, shutting and varyingthe flow of water will all be done by the pump. Meanwhile, the pump canbe controlled electronically using touchless sensors, or other morebasic means, but it can also be calibrated initially and set to constantflow rate where the water would bridge the gap from the faucet 101 tothe outlet 102.

While the disclosure has been described in detail and with reference tospecific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in theart that various changes and modification can be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. Thus, it isintended that the present disclosure cover the modifications andvariations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A water delivery system comprising: abasin; an outlet in communication with a water source, wherein waterfrom the water source exits through the outlet; an inlet for receivingwater exiting the outlet, wherein the water traverses a gap between theinlet and the outlet without touching the basin during uninterruptedflow, wherein water received by the inlet is recirculated to the outlet;and a drain positioned in the basin, wherein water exiting the outletbut not received by the inlet enters the drain.
 2. The water deliverysystem of claim 1, further comprising: a circulation system forproviding water from at least one of the water source and the inlet tothe outlet.
 3. The water delivery system of claim 1, wherein the outletand the inlet are positioned on opposite sides of the basin.
 4. Thewater delivery system of claim 3, wherein the drain is positioned at alowermost position in the basin.
 5. The water delivery system of claim2, wherein the circulation system comprises a water circulation pump anda circulation valve.
 6. The water delivery system of claim 1, furthercomprising: a receptor positioned adjacent the inlet, wherein thereceptor transfers water received from the outlet to the inlet viagravity.
 7. The water delivery system of claim 2, wherein thecirculation system routes the water through a heater.
 8. The waterdelivery system of claim 1, wherein the inlet is concentric with thedrain.
 9. The water delivery system of claim 8, further comprising acover to prevent water from entering the inlet.
 10. The water deliverysystem of claim 1, further comprising: a first hinged gate attached tothe outlet; and a second hinged gate attached to the inlet, wherein thefirst hinged gate and the second hinged gate are collinear with a lineextending from the outlet to the inlet.
 11. The water delivery system ofclaim 1, wherein the water entering the drain has been interrupted fromreaching the inlet.
 12. The water delivery system of claim 1, whereinthe inlet is positioned at a height above the outlet.
 13. The waterdelivery system of claim 1, wherein the inlet is positioned at a heightabove the drain.